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Abstract:

A processor-implemented method, system, and/or computer program product
directs a user using a physiological sensor to a needed medical resource.
A real-time state of a medical condition of a user is determined based on
readings from a physiological sensor on a user. A processing system
correlates the real-time state of the medical condition of the user to a
medical resource, which has been predetermined to have a capability of
ameliorating the real-time state of the medical condition of the user.
Directions are then sent, to the user, for a temporally nearest medical
resource that has been predetermined to have the capability of
ameliorating the real-time state of the medical condition of the user.

Claims:

1. A processor-implemented method of directing a user to a medical
resource, the processor-implemented method comprising: a processor
determining a real-time state of a medical condition of a user based on
readings from a physiological sensor on a user; the processor correlating
the real-time state of the medical condition of the user to a medical
resource, wherein the medical resource has been predetermined to have a
capability of ameliorating the real-time state of the medical condition
of the user; and the processor issuing, to the user, directions to a
temporally closest medical resource that has been predetermined to have
the capability of ameliorating the real-time state of the medical
condition of the user.

2. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: the
processor predetermining that a seat has a capability of ameliorating an
overexertion of the user; and the processor, in response to receiving a
reading from the physiological sensor indicating that the user is being
overexerted, directing the user to a nearest seat.

3. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: the
processor predetermining that any medical facility from a predetermined
list of medical facilities has resources that are capable of ameliorating
an acute medical condition of the user; the processor, in response to
receiving a reading from the physiological sensor indicating that the
user is currently suffering from the acute medical condition, directing
the user to a temporally nearest medical facility from the predetermined
list of medical facilities.

4. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: the
processor predetermining that a climate controlled room provides an
environment that is capable of ameliorating an acute medical condition of
the user; the processor, in response to receiving a reading from the
physiological sensor indicating that the user is currently suffering from
the acute medical condition, directing the user to a nearest climate
controlled room.

5. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: the
processor predetermining that a nutrition vendor has resources capable of
ameliorating an acute medical condition of the user; the processor, in
response to receiving a reading from the physiological sensor indicating
that the user is currently suffering from the acute medical condition,
directing the user to a nearest nutrition vendor.

6. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: the
processor receiving a description of current travel conditions at a
current location of the user; and the processor identifying the
temporally closest medical resource based on travel time adjustments
caused by the current travel conditions at the current location of the
user.

7. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: the
processor receiving, from the physiological sensor, a real-time state of
an imperceptible medical condition of the user, wherein the imperceptible
medical condition is detectable by the physiological sensor but is
imperceptible to the user; and the processor correlating the real-time
state of the imperceptible medical condition of the user to the medical
resource, wherein the medical resource has been predetermined to have a
capability of ameliorating the real-time state of the imperceptible
medical condition of the user.

8. The processor-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the imperceptible
medical condition of the user exists in real-time for less than a
predetermined length of time.

9. A computer program product for directing a user to a medical resource,
the computer program product comprising: a computer readable storage
media; first program instructions to determine a real-time state of a
medical condition of a user based on readings from a physiological sensor
on a user; second program instructions to correlate the real-time state
of the medical condition of the user to a medical resource, wherein the
medical resource has been predetermined to have a capability of
ameliorating the real-time state of the medical condition of the user;
and third program instructions to issue, to the user, directions to a
temporally closest medical resource that has been predetermined to have
the capability of ameliorating the real-time state of the medical
condition of the user; and wherein the first, second, and third program
instructions are stored on the computer readable storage media.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising: fourth
program instructions to predetermine that a seat has a capability of
ameliorating an overexertion of the user; and fifth program instructions
to, in response to receiving a reading from the physiological sensor
indicating that the user is being overexerted, direct the user to a
nearest seat; and wherein the fourth and fifth program instructions are
stored on the computer readable storage media.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising: fourth
program instructions to predetermine that any medical facility from a
predetermined list of medical facilities has resources that are capable
of ameliorating an acute medical condition of the user; fifth program
instructions to, in response to receiving a reading from the
physiological sensor indicating that the user is currently suffering from
the acute medical condition, direct the user to a temporally nearest
medical facility from the predetermined list of medical facilities; and
wherein the fourth and fifth program instructions are stored on the
computer readable storage media.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising: fourth
program instructions to predetermine that a climate controlled room
provides an environment that is capable of ameliorating an acute medical
condition of the user; fifth program instructions to, in response to
receiving a reading from the physiological sensor indicating that the
user is currently suffering from the acute medical condition, direct the
user to a nearest climate controlled room; and wherein the fourth and
fifth program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage
media.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising: fourth
program instructions to predetermine that a nutrition vendor has
resources capable of ameliorating an acute medical condition of the user;
fifth program instructions to, in response to receiving a reading from
the physiological sensor indicating that the user is currently suffering
from the acute medical condition, direct the user to a nearest nutrition
vendor; and wherein the fourth and fifth program instructions are stored
on the computer readable storage media.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising: fourth
program instructions to receive, from the physiological sensor, a
real-time state of an imperceptible medical condition of the user,
wherein the imperceptible medical condition is detectable by the
physiological sensor but is imperceptible to the user; and fifth program
instructions to correlate the real-time state of the imperceptible
medical condition of the user to the medical resource, wherein the
medical resource has been predetermined to have a capability of
ameliorating the real-time state of the imperceptible medical condition
of the user; and wherein the fourth and fifth program instructions are
stored on the computer readable storage media.

15. A computer system comprising: a processor, a computer readable
memory, and a computer readable storage media; first program instructions
to determine a real-time state of a medical condition of a user based on
readings from a physiological sensor on a user; second program
instructions to correlate the real-time state of the medical condition of
the user to a medical resource, wherein the medical resource has been
predetermined to have a capability of ameliorating the real-time state of
the medical condition of the user; and third program instructions to
issue, to the user, directions to a temporally closest medical resource
that has been predetermined to have the capability of ameliorating the
real-time state of the medical condition of the user; and wherein the
first, second, and third program instructions are stored on the computer
readable storage media for execution by the processor via the computer
readable memory.

16. The computer system of claim 15, further comprising: fourth program
instructions to predetermine that a seat has a capability of ameliorating
an overexertion of the user; and fifth program instructions to, in
response to receiving a reading from the physiological sensor indicating
that the user is being overexerted, direct the user to a nearest seat;
and wherein the fourth and fifth program instructions are stored on the
computer readable storage media for execution by the processor via the
computer readable memory.

17. The computer system of claim 15, further comprising: fourth program
instructions to predetermine that any medical facility from a
predetermined list of medical facilities has resources that are capable
of ameliorating an acute medical condition of the user; fifth program
instructions to, in response to receiving a reading from the
physiological sensor indicating that the user is currently suffering from
the acute medical condition, direct the user to a temporally nearest
medical facility from the predetermined list of medical facilities; and
wherein the fourth and fifth program instructions are stored on the
computer readable storage media for execution by the processor via the
computer readable memory.

18. The computer system of claim 15, further comprising: fourth program
instructions to predetermine that a climate controlled room provides an
environment that is capable of ameliorating an acute medical condition of
the user; fifth program instructions to, in response to receiving a
reading from the physiological sensor indicating that the user is
currently suffering from the acute medical condition, direct the user to
a nearest climate controlled room; and wherein the fourth and fifth
program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage media
for execution by the processor via the computer readable memory.

19. The computer system of claim 15, further comprising: fourth program
instructions to predetermine that a nutrition vendor has resources
capable of ameliorating an acute medical condition of the user; fifth
program instructions to, in response to receiving a reading from the
physiological sensor indicating that the user is currently suffering from
the acute medical condition, direct the user to a nearest nutrition
vendor; and wherein the fourth and fifth program instructions are stored
on the computer readable storage media for execution by the processor via
the computer readable memory.

20. The computer system of claim 15, further comprising: fourth program
instructions to receive, from the physiological sensor, a real-time state
of an imperceptible medical condition of the user, wherein the
imperceptible medical condition is detectable by the physiological sensor
but is imperceptible to the user; and fifth program instructions to
correlate the real-time state of the imperceptible medical condition of
the user to the medical resource, wherein the medical resource has been
predetermined to have a capability of ameliorating the real-time state of
the imperceptible medical condition of the user; and wherein the fourth
and fifth program instructions are stored on the computer readable
storage media for execution by the processor via the computer readable
memory.

Description:

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of computers and
physiological sensors, and specifically to the use of computers and
physiological sensors in the field of medicine. Still more particularly,
the present disclosure relates to the use of computers and physiological
sensors in directing a user to a medical resource based on real-time
readings from a physiological sensor that is in use on the user.

[0003] Medical resources provide high-tech to low-tech assistance to a
person. For example, an operating room with the latest monitoring and
surgical tools and personnel provides a high-tech solution to a person
having a heart attack, while a park bench provides a low-tech solution to
a person whose medical condition simply limits his stamina while walking.

SUMMARY

[0004] A processor-implemented method, system, and/or computer program
product directs a user using a physiological sensor to a needed medical
resource. A real-time state of a medical condition of a user is
determined based on readings from a physiological sensor on a user. A
processing system correlates the real-time state of the medical condition
of the user to a medical resource, which has been predetermined to have a
capability of ameliorating the real-time state of the medical condition
of the user. Directions are then sent, to the user, for a temporally
nearest medical resource that has been predetermined to have the
capability of ameliorating the real-time state of the medical condition
of the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005]FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary computer in which the present
disclosure may be implemented;

[0006] FIG. 2 depicts a relationship among a person, physiological
sensors, and medical resources as contemplated in one embodiment of the
present invention; and

[0007]FIG. 3 is a high-level flow-chart of one or more actions performed
by a processor to direct a user to an appropriate medical resource based
on real-time readings of physiological sensor(s) on the user.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0008] As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the
present invention may be embodied as a system, method or computer program
product. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the form
of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment
(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an
embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally
be referred to herein as a "circuit," "module" or "system." Furthermore,
aspects of the present invention may take the form of a computer program
product embodied in one or more computer readable medium(s) having
computer readable program code embodied thereon.

[0009] Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may be
utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal
medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable storage
medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic,
optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus,
or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific
examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium
would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more
wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory
(RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only
memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc
read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage
device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of
this document, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible
medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection
with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0010] A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data
signal with computer readable program code embodied therein, for example,
in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may
take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,
electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A
computer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium that
is not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate,
propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an
instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0011] Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be
transmitted using any appropriate medium, including, but not limited to,
wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable
combination of the foregoing.

[0012] Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of
the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more
programming languages, including an object oriented programming language
such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional procedural
programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or similar
programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on the
user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software
package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or
entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the
remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type
of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network
(WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for
example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).

[0013] Aspects of the present invention are described below with reference
to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus
(systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the
invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart
illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the
flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by
computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be
provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose
computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a
machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of
the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create
means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart
and/or block diagram block or blocks.

[0014] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a
computer readable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable
data processing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particular
manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readable medium
produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement
the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or
blocks.

[0015] The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a
computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices
to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,
other programmable apparatus or other devices to produce a computer
implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the
computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes for
implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block
diagram block or blocks.

[0016] With reference now to the figures, and in particular to FIG. 1,
there is depicted a block diagram of an exemplary computer 102, which may
be utilized by the present invention. Note that some or all of the
exemplary architecture, including both depicted hardware and software,
shown for and within computer 102 may be utilized by software deploying
server 150, physiological sensor(s) 152, a Global Positioning System
(GPS) device 154, and/or mobile communication device 156 shown in FIG. 1,
and/or local processing system 202 shown in FIG. 2.

[0017] Computer 102 includes a processing unit 104 that is coupled to a
system bus 106. Processing unit 104 may utilize one or more processors,
each of which has one or more processor cores. A video adapter 108, which
drives/supports a display 110, is also coupled to system bus 106. System
bus 106 is coupled via a bus bridge 112 to an input/output (I/O) bus 114.
An I/O interface 116 is coupled to I/O bus 114. I/O interface 116 affords
communication with various I/O devices, including a keyboard 118, a mouse
120, a media tray 122 (which may include storage devices such as CD-ROM
drives, multi-media interfaces, etc.), a printer 124, and external USB
port(s) 126. While the format of the ports connected to I/O interface 116
may be any known to those skilled in the art of computer architecture, in
one embodiment some or all of these ports are universal serial bus (USB)
ports.

[0018] As depicted, computer 102 is able to communicate with a software
deploying server 150 using a network interface 130. Network 128 may be an
external network such as the Internet, or an internal network such as an
Ethernet or a virtual private network (VPN).

[0019] A hard drive interface 132 is also coupled to system bus 106. Hard
drive interface 132 interfaces with a hard drive 134. In one embodiment,
hard drive 134 populates a system memory 136, which is also coupled to
system bus 106. System memory is defined as a lowest level of volatile
memory in computer 102. This volatile memory includes additional higher
levels of volatile memory (not shown), including, but not limited to,
cache memory, registers and buffers. Data that populates system memory
136 includes computer 102's operating system (OS) 138 and application
programs 144.

[0020] OS 138 includes a shell 140, for providing transparent user access
to resources such as application programs 144. Generally, shell 140 is a
program that provides an interpreter and an interface between the user
and the operating system. More specifically, shell 140 executes commands
that are entered into a command line user interface or from a file. Thus,
shell 140, also called a command processor, is generally the highest
level of the operating system software hierarchy and serves as a command
interpreter. The shell provides a system prompt, interprets commands
entered by keyboard, mouse, or other user input media, and sends the
interpreted command(s) to the appropriate lower levels of the operating
system (e.g., a kernel 142) for processing. Note that while shell 140 is
a text-based, line-oriented user interface, the present invention will
equally well support other user interface modes, such as graphical,
voice, gestural, etc.

[0021] As depicted, OS 138 also includes kernel 142, which includes lower
levels of functionality for OS 138, including providing essential
services required by other parts of OS 138 and application programs 144,
including memory management, process and task management, disk
management, and mouse and keyboard management.

[0022] Application programs 144 include a renderer, shown in exemplary
manner as a browser 146. Browser 146 includes program modules and
instructions enabling a world wide web (WWW) client (i.e., computer 102)
to send and receive network messages to the Internet using hypertext
transfer protocol (HTTP) messaging, thus enabling communication with
software deploying server 150 and other computer systems.

[0023] Application programs 144 in computer 102's system memory (and, in
one embodiment, software deploying server 150's system memory) also
include a medical resource correlation and location program (MRCLP) 148.
MRCLP 148 includes code for implementing the processes described below,
including those described in FIGS. 2-3. In one embodiment, computer 102
is able to download MRCLP 148 from software deploying server 150,
including in an on-demand basis, wherein the code in MRCLP 148 is not
downloaded until needed for execution. Note further that, in one
embodiment of the present invention, software deploying server 150
performs all of the functions associated with the present invention
(including execution of MRCLP 148), thus freeing computer 102 from having
to use its own internal computing resources to execute MRCLP 148.

[0024] The hardware elements depicted in computer 102 are not intended to
be exhaustive, but rather are representative to highlight essential
components required by the present invention. For instance, computer 102
may include alternate memory storage devices such as magnetic cassettes,
digital versatile disks (DVDs), Bernoulli cartridges, and the like. These
and other variations are intended to be within the spirit and scope of
the present invention.

[0025] With reference now to FIG. 2, consider a user depicted as person
200, on whom are one or more physiological sensors 152. These one or more
physiological sensors 152 are inside of, carried by, strapped to, or
otherwise proximate to the person 200. For example, an oxygen saturation
monitor is attached to a fingertip of the person 200; a portable
electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG) machine, with leads attached to the person
200, is worn by the person 200 in a carry-pack; a continuous glucose
monitoring device, having sensors attached to or under a patient's skin,
is carried by person 200; a therapeutic drug monitoring device can be
surgically implanted to remain inside the person 200; etc. Thus, the
physiological sensors 152 are sensors that monitor
physiological/pharmaceutical/medical/etc. conditions of person 200 to
which the physiological sensors 152 are
attached/worn/implanted/carried/etc.

[0026] In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the
person 200 also carries (or otherwise has mobile access to) a GPS device
154 and/or a mobile communication device 156, which may be combined into
a single device. That is, a mobile communication device 156 (e.g., a
"smart" phone that is capable of connecting to the Internet, a cellular
network, etc.) may be GPS-enabled, such that the real-time location of
person 200 can always be determined. The GPS-enabled device utilizes
signals from Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites to determine the
real-time physical location (longitude, latitude, and altitude) of the
person 200.

[0027] As described herein, when one or more of the physiological
sensor(s) 152 detects a real-time state of a medical condition (of person
200) that warrants a medical resource, directions to the nearest
appropriate medical resource are sent to the mobile communication device
156, based on information from the GPS device. For example, assume that
person 200 is a diabetic who has taken too much insulin, or is
chronically hypoglycemic. When readings from the physiological sensor(s)
152 indicate that person 200 is currently experiencing an excessively low
blood glucose level, a processor (e.g., part of local processing system
202 or part of a remote system such as computer 102 shown in FIG. 1)
correlates that condition with what type of medical resource is needed.
In this example, the medical resource may be any type of vendor from
which the person 200 can obtain a soft drink that, upon ingestion, will
immediately bring the blood glucose level back up to healthy levels.

[0028] In the example shown in FIG. 2, the processor, based on information
from a local or remote database and current real-time coordinates
generated by the GPS device 154, identifies four medical resources,
identified as medical resource 204a and medical resource 204b (where "b"
is an integer), and medical resources 206a-n (where "n" is an integer).
As indicated by distance arrow 208c, medical resource 206a is the closest
medical resource to the person 200. However, medical resource 206a is not
the right type of medical resource for a hypoglycemic patient. That is,
soft drinks or similar substances are not available from medical resource
206a, which may be a clothing store. Thus, the processor ignores medical
resource 206a. However, the processor identifies medical resource 204a
and medical resource 204b as resources (e.g., convenience stores) where
glucose-rich beverages are available. As represented by the length of
distance arrow 208a compared to the length of distance arrow 208b,
medical resource 204a is the closest medical resource that is able to
ameliorate the current state of the medical condition (e.g.,
hypoglycemia) of the person 200. Note that medical resource 206n is not
considered to be a viable medical resource candidate since 1) it is not
the needed type of medical resource (i.e., does not sell soft drinks) and
2) it is farther away than medical resource 204a.

[0029] Once the processor has identified the temporally closest medical
resource, directions to that medical resource are sent to the mobile
communication device 156, allowing the person 200 to go directly to that
needed medical resource. Note that the selected medical resource is
temporally closest. Ordinarily, the temporally closest medical resource
is the medical resource that is physically the closest. However, in some
embodiments, a physically closest medical resource may actually take
longer to get to than a more distant medical resource, and thus is not
temporally closest. For example, street blockage, traffic accidents, lack
of walkways/roadways, etc. may make is faster to get to a medical
resource that is physically farther away from the person 200 than another
medical resource. Note also that the person 200 may be a pedestrian, or
may be a passenger in a vehicle, either private or public.

[0030] Consider now FIG. 3, which presents a high-level flow chart of one
or more actions performed by a processor to direct a user to a temporally
nearest medical resource based on real-time readings from physiological
sensor(s) on the user. After initiator block 302, real-time physiological
sensor readings are received from one or more physiological sensors on a
user (block 304). The physiological sensor(s) may be worn by, attached
to, implanted within, carried by, or otherwise positioned proximately to
the user, thus enabling the taking of physiological measurements. These
physiological measurements may be oxygen saturation levels in blood;
glucose levels in blood; pharmaceutical levels in blood, urine, or
exhaled breath; respiration levels (how many times a minute the person
takes a breath); EKG readings, to include anomalies such as irregular
heartbeats, both chronic and acute (including life-threatening);
electroencephalogram (EEG) readings (i.e., from a portable EEG
cap/monitor system); body temperature (e.g., from a skin sensor
thermometer; an ingested "pill" thermometer to measure body core
temperature; etc.); blood pressure readings; etc. Note that some or all
of these physiological measurements may be of medical conditions that are
imperceptible to the user. For example, a person may have a
life-threatening anomaly in his heart rhythm, but will not "feel"
anything unusual. An EKG sensor, however, will detect this anomaly, thus
setting off the directions to the requisite medical resource, whether
that be a simple bench to sit upon (thus allowing the heart to be under
less stress) or a hospital (to provide emergency surgery,
pharmaceuticals, etc.). Note that this imperceptible medical condition
may be transient (i.e., exists in real-time for less than some
predetermined length of time). Nonetheless, even though the event passes,
the person may still need medical treatment. Without the real-time mobile
monitoring however, the event would be ignored or never detected, since
it may or may not re-manifest itself.

[0031] As described in block 306, based on the physiological sensor
reading(s) received, the processor determines what the real-time state of
the medical condition of the user is. For example, if the processor
receives a sensor reading indicating low blood glucose, then the
real-time state of the medical condition is hypoglycemia. If the
processor receives a sensor reading indicating an irregular heartbeat,
then the real-time state of the medical condition may be tachycardia. If
the processor receives a sensor reading indicating an elevated body core
temperature, then the real-time state of the medical condition may be
heat exhaustion. If the processor receives a sensor reading indicating
rapid shallow breathing, then the real-time state of the medical
condition may be hyperventilation and/or hyperventilation-induced blood
alkalosis. These examples are representative of the concept of how a
real-time state of a medical condition of the user is determined based on
readings from the physiological sensors on the user, and are not intended
to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0032] As described in block 308, the real-time state of the medical
condition (determined in block 306) is then correlated to a medical
resource that has been predetermined to have the capability of
ameliorating the real-time state of the medical condition of the user.
This medical resource may be from a predetermined list of medical
resources, which have been pre-qualified according to their
capabilities/resources. For example, assume that a physiological sensor
(e.g., an EKG, a respiration monitor, a thermometer, etc.) generates a
reading that leads to the real-time state of the medical condition that
the user is overexerting, based on some predefined "safe" parameters for
that person. That is, if that person's heart rate goes over 160 beats per
minute, or his respiration rate goes over 20 breaths per minute, or his
core body temperature goes over 102° F., any or all of these have
been predetermined as being unsafe for that person, and thus he is
overexerted. In order to address this real-time state of his medical
condition, certain types of medical resources have been predetermined as
appropriate for ameliorating the real-time state of this medical
condition. For example, a bench or similar seat has been predetermined as
being adequate for ameliorating the real-time state of simply being
overexerted. A nearest air-conditioned public building has been
predetermined as being adequate for cooling down an overheated person.
Professional medical care from a medical facility has been predetermined
as being adequate for providing needed high-level medical treatment. A
closest nutrition vendor has been predetermined as being appropriate for
providing/selling fruit juice, soft drinks, energy bars, etc. needed by a
person who is suffering from hypoglycemia. Whatever the real-time state
of the medical condition, an appropriate predetermined type of medical
resource, which may also be pre-approved and/or pre-selected according to
specific locations of medical resources that match the requisite type of
medical resource, is then correlated to that real-time state of the
medical condition as being the appropriate type of medical resource for
ameliorating the real-time state of the medical condition, whether that
real-time state of the medical condition is perceptible or imperceptible
to the user being monitored.

[0033] As described in block 310, directions are then issued (e.g., sent
to a user's "smart" phone) to the user, directing him to a temporally
closest medical resource that has been predetermined to have the
capability of ameliorating the real-time state of the medical condition
of the user. Note that in one embodiment, the temporally closest medical
resource and the physically closest medical resource are the same.
However, in another embodiment, the temporally closest medical resource
may be physically farther away from the user than another medical
resource. That is, descriptions of current travel conditions (i.e.,
blocked roads or traffic jams if the user is in a vehicle, blocked
walkways or dangerously iced walkways if the user is a pedestrian, etc.)
may be received by the processor that is correlating the real-time state
of the medical condition to the medical resource. Thus, the current
travel conditions may result in a different, perhaps farther away,
medical resource being identified as being the temporally closest to the
user, or alternatively may be the safest for the user to reach.

[0034] The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the
architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of
systems, methods and computer program products according to various
embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in the
flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion
of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for
implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted
that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the
block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two
blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially
concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse
order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted
that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and
combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart
illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based
systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of
special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

[0035] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing
particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the
invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are
intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly
indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms
"comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify
the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,
and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or
more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components,
and/or groups thereof.

[0036] The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of
all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended
to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in
combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The
description of various embodiments of the present invention has been
presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not
intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form
disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of
ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of
the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best
explain the principles of the invention and the practical application,
and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the
invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are
suited to the particular use contemplated.

[0037] Note further that any methods described in the present disclosure
may be implemented through the use of a VHDL (VHSIC Hardware Description
Language) program and a VHDL chip. VHDL is an exemplary design-entry
language for Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Application Specific
Integrated Circuits (ASICs), and other similar electronic devices. Thus,
any software-implemented method described herein may be emulated by a
hardware-based VHDL program, which is then applied to a VHDL chip, such
as a FPGA.

[0038] Having thus described embodiments of the invention of the present
application in detail and by reference to illustrative embodiments
thereof, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are
possible without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the
appended claims.